I regret that I missed this one at TIFF, but now that it’s on Netflix it’s going to be able to reach a wider audience. And any film fan who grew up during the 80s and 90s will no doubt recognize parts of themselves in the film’s lead, cinephile Lawrence Kweller (Isiah Lehtinen). Lawrence is…
Author: TD Rideout
Batman (1968) – I’ll Be a Mummy’s Uncle, and The Joker’s Flying Saucer
King Tut (Victor Buono) is back for a final appearance in I’ll Be a Mummy’s Uncle. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross, it first aired on 22 February, 1968. Tut is in town and has a real estate scheme, he wants to get his hands on some rare minerals. Where are they? Buried under Wayne Manor,…
Family Ties (1985) – Oh, Donna, Auntie Up, and Philadelphia Story
Alex (Micheal J. Fox) comes down with Daddy Fever when he helps his parents out with their Lamaze class, and becomes enchanted with the idea of becoming the father to the child of a single mother in Oh, Donna. Written by Alan Uger, this episode was first broadcast on 3 January, 1985. Initially dismissive of…
The Blackthorn Key (2015) – Kevin Sands
Simon & Schuster takes me back to 17th century London this week with The Blackthorn Key written by Kevin Sands. The first book in a young adult collection that spans six novels, the first book is a fast-paced tale filled with mystery and puzzles that delivers an engaging read. Christopher Rowe is the apprentice of…
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) – 4K
Tom Cruise returns as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in his seventh Mission: Impossible outing Dead Reckoning Part One which comes home on 4K and physical media today from Paramount Canada. It’s epic and brings in a number of story and character threads from the entire franchise and, of course, looks absolutely stunning in 4K. This…
Batman (1968) – The Great Escape, and The Great Train Robbery
Shame (Cliff Robertson) is back, escaping from prison with the help of Calamity Jan (Dina Merrill) and her mother, Frontier Fanny (Hermione Baddeley), who is also interfering in their potential romance, but that won’t stop Shame for preparing for his latest caper. The Great Escape was written by Stanley Ralph Ross and first aired on…
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) – Tommy Lee Wallace
Halloween III surprised audiences when it came along. There was no Micheal Myers, which had already become synonymous with the holiday, and there was a strange combination of the supernatural and science fiction in the third entry in the franchise. A convoluted behind-the-scenes story affected the script and the filming, and with no Micheal, the…
Halloween II (1981) – Rick Rosenthal
And this is where the problems with the Halloween sequels start. Is it canon? Is it not? How do you define canon? John Carpenter got himself a producer’s credit for this film, as well as having a hand in editing and the music for the film, but the biggest indicator, no matter what he thought…
Hill Street Blues (1986) – Amazing Grace, and Falling From Grace
The character of Grace (Barbara Babcock) returns this week, and she’d been gone so long that I didn’t even make the connection with the episode’s title! She returns with a bit of a shocking change of character, she’s become a nun! Amazing Grace was written by Robert Ward from a story by Ward and David…
The Boogeyman (2023) – Rob Savage
Sometimes Stephen King adaptations work, sometimes they take the core of the idea and do something completely different with it, and sometimes it comes off better than the original story. Not this time. But sometimes. This time around they took Stephen King’s short story, The Boogeyman as featured in the Night Shift collection and used…
The Mind Reels 